


A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

by Irilde



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Angst, Christmas Carols, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, First Doctor being a little shit, I'm Gonna spend Christmas With a Dalek, Ian and Barbara are very married, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Susan is precious, Timey-Wimey, Vicki has strong opinions about music, lots of them - Freeform, only a little though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21886750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irilde/pseuds/Irilde
Summary: Classic Who Secret Santa for Thefirstintimeandspace who requested a cute Christmas scene with Barbara and Ian. I feel the prompt got a bit away from me, and instead of one here are all the Christmas I could think of. Fluff, lots of shipiness, and a drop of angst for good measure. Add some carols into the mix and I present to you nine lessons about Christmas Barbara and Ian have learned through the years.
Relationships: Ian Chesterton/Barbara Wright
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Classic Who Secret Santa 2019





	1. First Lesson : Christmas can be the saddest time of the year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thefirstintimeandspace](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Thefirstintimeandspace).



# A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

## First lesson : Christmas can be the saddest time of the year

####  On the road from Shang-Tu to Peking, 1289

It all started with Ian’s question. 

“What day do you think it is for us?”

Barbara was not sure she understood was he meant.  
“I don’t know. To be honest I haven’t even thought about it. Besides I know nothing of the calendar they use in ancient China. Ping-Cho mentioned arriving at Shang-Tu in time for some event, but I really don’t know was she was referring to.”

She let out a sad smile.  
“I can tell you that it’s 1289. Late spring, I gather. I can’t tell you more than that.”

Barbara did not like not knowing. At first she had felt so happy to meet Marco Polo. It wasn’t their time, but it was Earth, and more than that, it was something she knew. That she had read about. Not some alien planet, or the dawn of time, so ancient, it could have been alien as well. But now she realized how foolish she had been and how inadequate her knowledge was. She could tell Ian Marco Polo’s date of birth and death, but what good would it do, when she could not even answer the simplest question: “What day is it?”.

“That’s not quite what I meant”  
“Oh? What then”

Ian stopped and ran a hand through his hair, trying to find a better way to express himself. 

“I meant, since we left. It has been a lot more than 24 hours. On Skaro, for instance, we spent a few days. I don’t know how long a day lasts there. It’s probably not the same as on Earth, but still, when you add all the hours… All the time since we left, it must have been weeks. And with Marco Polo, we’ve travelled three weeks and a half to Shang-Tu and now we’ve spent another week on the road. I can’t be sure, but I would say, to us it’s almost January. Or it would be January had we not left. Barbara!" He realised. "We missed Christmas!" 

“We did”

She swallowed down. Whatever happened, she would not cry. 

“And here we are. 1289 and it’s spring. Well, merry Christmas, Ian”  
“Merry Christmas”

They were too busy during the rest of the day to continue that conversation, but the thought lingered. Christmas. The food. The people rushing through the shops. That particular odour in the air, the smell of cold in the morning, crisp almost like smoke. How difficult it was to maintain discipline in her classes, as her students were all excited by the prospect of holidays approaching. The endless negotiations with the principal to repair that window in class B2 that did not close properly. It was freezing in that class, but there was no budget. Desperately trying to find something other than a tie, or a bottle of brandy to offer to her father. 

“Still thinking about it?” asked Ian, that evening, after everyone else had gone to bed.  
“Can’t help it”  
“Me neither”  
He sat next to her.  
“Well, there’s no point in avoiding the subject, is there?”  
“So what?”  
“Let’s talk about it. Get it out of your system. Don’t let the thought fester.”  
“Is that how you get students to confess to cheating during a test?”  
“One of my many talents”  
“Well you go first. How were you going to spend Christmas?”  
Ian shrugged  
“The usual I suppose. Home, with the family. My sister was supposed to come this year, with her husband and her son. And you?”  
“I was supposed to visit my aunt Cecilia”  
“I see. Playing scrabble and listening to the Queen’s Christmas address?”  
“So that’s what you think old people do? Telling.”  
“Well, what do I know? My mother always spends Christmas Eve near the radio. It’s not Christmas without the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcasted from King’s College.”  
“That sounds silly, especially after having to suffer through endless Christmas concerts at Coal Hill, but I do miss the carols.”  
“Oh I agree. There’s nothing like a good song to put you in the mood.”  
“My favourite one, since childhood has always been _We Three Kings_. Probably because it’s full of exotic words, or so I thought. Myrrh. Frankincense. Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. That’s evocative, and bizarre and so unlike the other carols. Nine-years-old me loved it.”  
“For me it’s _In the Bleak Midwinter_. The tune is simple but there’s such an elegance to it. It’s serene, and there’s something very humble and pure about the melody. It used to be _Adeste Fideles_ but I think I have sung it too much during mass as a child.” 

They paused for a moment, each one caught up in a particular memory, where everything was small, and safe, and familiar. 

“But it doesn’t really matter does it?” asked Barbara, tearing herself away from the Christmas that could have been. “The Doctor has a time machine. Presumably he will return us right where we left, so it would still be the same day. Christmas has not happened yet and is still ahead of us.”

If the Doctor ever does. And now that Polo had taken the TARDIS, it seemed more unlikely than ever. 

“Yes but time has not stopped for us. As far as I know”, Ian added. “And it turns out, I know very little. Even if… When we get back, we’ll still have lived through all this. We’ll be older.” 

He was right. And exactly how long would it take for them to get home? Only a few attempts the Doctor said. But what if it took longer? What if it took decades? How would they explain that when they got home?

Someone wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It was Ian. And judging by his face, he had guessed where her thoughts went. 

“We’re going home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to King's College Choir's broadcasts on repeat while writing this, hence the title of the story. Trying to get into the Christmas mood. First chapter not very happy, but that's the saddest of the bunch.
> 
> Also, I went with the location names used in Season 1's episode Marco Polo. They're certainly not accurate, and not even used nowadays, but that was easier for me. Please excuse that little shortcut.


	2. Second Lesson : it's not Christmas without the carols

## Second Lesson : It's not Christmas without the carols

####  Cambridge, Christmas Eve 1974

With the affluence, it was a bit of a struggle to get past the entrance, and Ian held John’s hand tight, not wanting to loose his son in this crowd. One of Barbara’s undergraduates was a Choral scholar at King’s College Choir and had gotten them tickets for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College Chapel. Throughout the years, the Festival had become an institution, and the Chestertons were grateful for the opportunity provided. Suzy and Gillian were too young to go, but Barbara and Ian had decided to take Johnny. The boy loved music and could not stop singing whatever song going through his mind. 

Johnny was not thrilled. And his parents’ assertions that he would enjoy it did not work.  
“Why do I have to come, when Suzy doesn’t?” He kept whining, while the Chestertons took their seats. 

But as soon as he heard the first verse of _Once in royal David’s city_ , he was hooked. His mouth opened, and would not close until the end of the performance.  
“Mum, Dad, can I be a Chorister? Pleasepleaseplease, can I be a chorister?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like RTD's suggestion that Barbara and Ian ended up teaching in Cambridge, so here they are, nine years after they left the TARDIS.


	3. Third Lesson : It's not Christmas without embarrassing relatives

## Third Lesson : It's not Christmas without embarrasing relatives

####  Planet Crion CLF5, Fifth day of the Goat decade, 37 ALL (After Locusts’ Liberation)

What started as a delightful evening on a peaceful planet (for once), turned out into a chase through the narrow streets of the Old Town, and for Susan, a bit of an embarrassment. 

They had landed on planet Crion, and had found themselves in the middle of the Winter Solstice Festival. That evening they had decided to visit the market. The Doctor was hopeful he would find some spare parts there. The TARDIS was again giving him a little bit of trouble. 

Susan was running from one display to another, the Doctor was busy haggling, and Ian and Barbara were lagging a bit behind, having decided to try some of the local sweets while listening to a musician play something that sounded surprisingly similar to _Oh Holy Night_. The sweets tasted like lemon, cinnamon and grass, but looked like candied strawberries. All was perfect, until the haggling turned into a shouting match, with the Doctor seemingly feeling offended by the vendor’s suggestion that he was being greedy, which lead to him saying something about “primitives”, and “letting them handle such delicate technology is the same thing as casting pearls before swine.” Then a brawl erupted, while Susan, red-faced, was trying to reason her grandfather. 

“I’m not risking my skin to save the Doctor again.” grumbled Ian. “I’m done. He gets himself into trouble, he gets himself out. I’ve earned a rest.” Ian also had the impression that the Doctor was actually a lot stronger than he appeared to be, and was quite curious to see how it would all pan out. 

But Susan was pleading, and Barbara was giving him the _you’re-not-being-helpful_ look. So he relented, grabbed the Doctor, and made a run for the TARDIS. It was really getting monotonous. 

“Embarrassing relatives”, said Barbara, full of sympathy for Susan. “We all had to deal with them.”


	4. Fourth Lesson : It's not Christmas without aliens

##  Fourth Lesson : It's not Christmas without aliens

####  London, Christmas Eve 2007

_Where the hell are u?_

_Mum’s getting worried_

_Ur 2h late_

**Sorry. Traffic was hell. Tell her well be here in five min. Stopped at the store 2 get wine**

Suzy put the phone down and turned around to face her concerned mother.  
“Gillian’s at the store. Apparently there was some traffic incident.”  
“Maybe it’s aliens. Again.” said Ian who had found himself in a pillow fight with his grandchildren, and was trying to fend off the vicious charge led by Zoe, seven years old and two missing teeth.  
“Oh come on, Dad, the joke is getting a bit old”  
“I’m really serious, Christmas and aliens… Ouch! Zoe! You should know by now that… Oof! Please, Noah… Children. Time-out. Time-out.”  
“Zoe! Noah! Stop bullying Grandfather…”  
“But he started it!”  
“… and don’t run around the table”  
“Zoe come here! Sit!”, Suzy’s husband called. “I don’t know if it’s related to the traffic but they just said on the news that something strange happened in Ealing today. Some ATM sent banknotes flying across the street.”  
“That’s a scary Santa,” commented Zoe, eyes glued to the TV.  
“That’s just because they are playing _God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen_ ” joked Ian  
“They do look sinister” confirmed Suzy. “Noah! For the last time stop running around the table you’re gonna knock something off.” 

The doorbell rang.  
“Gilly, at last”, said Barbara rushing to the door. 

“Hello everyone. Sorry we’re late. Emily dear, you’re standing in the way. Hello Mummy. I’m really sorry. The M25 was completely stuck. And you will not believe why. Dad, that’s a story for you.  
“Gramps! Gramps! There was a blue box flying over the road!”  
“A blue…”

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of broken glass and spilt liquid, followed by a loud shout  
“NOAH!!! For Heaven’s sake! Mum I’m so sorry. I’ll take the carpet to the dry cleaner, I swear. Noah, you just wait… “


	5. Fifth Lesson : If it's aliens, then you're lucky. You could be spending Christmas with a Dalek

## Fifth Lesson : If it's aliens, then you're lucky. You could be spending Christmas with a Dalek

####  Planet 4eFC7, Christmas Eve, 4236

Ian had three problems. 

Problem Two, perhaps the more pressing one, was that he was being chased through a poor-lit corridor, by a bunch of Daleks. It was also the easiest one to solve. 

To anyone else, it might have seemed strange. After all Daleks are notorious for being the most cruel, most intelligent, and most vicious race in the universe. But to Ian, unfortunately, evading them had become a way of life. And with some clever plan (if Barbara came up with it) or reckless (if Vicki did) or both and also completely mad (the Doctor) the Daleks could be beaten. Until the next time.

Ian was not a gambling man. But he would be willing to bet his car, his salary and his Coal Hill School tie that he would meet them again. Or some other deadly creature, at this point he was not picky. 

And all of this because of Problem One. 

Problem One was an ongoing predicament. Ian and his colleague and friend, Barbara, had been kidnapped by a grouchy, unpredictable, untrustworthy alien. However friendly he had turned to be, the fact was that for one and half year, they had been drifting through time and space aboard a machine that no one knew how to operate (the Doctor could pretend but he fooled no one), that almost killed them once and that always landed them right in the middle of a crisis. 

But Problem One would hopefully be solved one day, and in the meantime, there was nothing Ian could do about it.

“Right there!” shouted Vicki. 

The girl had found a cupboard big enough for the five of them to hide: Ian, Barbara, Vicki, the Doctor and Jenkins, Chief Astronomer, whose observatory was under attack by the Daleks. (The motives of the Daleks were unclear but their plans included something called “the Planet Mover”.)

“What do we do know?” asked Jenkins.  
“We must prevent them from reaching the main telescope. They need it to complete their optical alignment”, the Doctor answered  
“Whatever for?”  
“You see dear boy, the Daleks seem notoriously unhappy with the way planets are disposed in space. They always have to rearrange them. It’s quite remarkable I say. Yes quite remarkable to what length a civilisation will go to reshape the cosmos. I wonder…”  
“Well maybe they’re just unhappy with this week’s horoscope” proposed Ian.

It was a stupid joke, really. Ian was not proud of himself. But Barbara grinned.

And there it was. Problem Three. 

Barbara’s smile. 

Though to Ian, it really should have been Problem One. Problem Zero. You see the first two problems posed a threat to his existence only. The third one posed a threat to his sanity. And in the current situation Ian desperately needed his wits. 

Ergo Problem Three was the most important one.

That problem was quite recent. Somehow it had evaded him all this time. But now he could not ignore it. Daleks had guns with laser beams but Barbara’s smile was deadly. And it was a mystery to him: how and when and why did it started, and really it was infuriating. How did he failed to notice it? Because being the only humans on an alien spaceship, surrounded by aliens, they naturally had clung to one another, and she had become a constant presence by his side, as familiar as his own shadow. And he had not thought much about it. It just happened. And one day, in the corridors of the TARDIS, as he passed her by, she smiled and suddenly she was different. Strange, and new, and deadly. (also beautiful, but mostly ~~scary~~ different). 

At first he attributed it to the TARDIS once again wreaking havoc on his brain. And when he met her later in the console room, she was the same good old Barbara. 

Except that later that evening (that morning, that afternoon, who the hell knew in that spaceship) she smiled again. And Ian understood that he, somehow, had lost.

And that was Problem Three. 

Well, in fact it was a bit more complicated than that. Thing is, Barbara smiled a lot (to his great happiness), and not always at him (that would be presumptuous). So there was a whole subdivision to Problem Three.

Barbara smiling at him made him… Well he wasn’t entirely sure yet. It made him want to disappear beneath the ground, to say something (stupid probably), to freeze and stare, to crack a joke (which was stupid and also dangerous, because then she would smile again and the whole thing would start anew, and there would be no end in sight, ~~not that Ian would mind~~ ). Mostly it made him confused (and ~~happy~~ ~~scared~~ ~~proud~~ (where did that came from?) no really, confused). Problem Four

Barbara smiling at someone else… Well it all came down to who someone else was. Vicki, the Doctor, it was all fine. But take Jenkins, who was at the moment being oh so helpful by drawing a map of the observatory, and it was another matter. Problem Five. 

An obvious solution would be to make sure that Barbara never smiled altogether, but then that would cause Problem Six: Barbara is unhappy. And Ian could never allow that.

Not to mention that if Barbara is unhappy then the Doctor becomes even more unbearable. To be fair, he had made a lot of progress and was a far cry from the raving lunatic they had met in that junkyard, but right now with the Daleks after them, and Jenkins proposing perfect sensible solutions, that were really helpful, Ian was not inclined to be charitable. 

So there again, Problem Three (Four and Five, and maybe they could split up and Jenkins would go with Vicki and the Doctor to the control room, while he and Barbara kept the pepper pots distracted?). 

And then the Doctor proved himself to be the most brilliant, the most wonderful man Ian had ever known by suggesting exactly that. 

“Well that certainly worked” he said as they were hiding behind a desk, while the Daleks tried and failed to take aim.  
“We just have to wait until the Doctor’s plan works”  
“And not get killed in the meantime”.  
Barbara smiled. Oh no he did not need that.  
“With a bit of luck”  
She picked a paper that had fallen when Ian had flipped the desk.  
“What is it?”  
“It’s a calendar. And oh Ian! Today’s Christmas Eve! That certainly explains why I thought I overheard a very strange rendition of _Carol of the Bells_ when the Doctor opened the Tardis’ doors.”  
Ian groaned  
“Again! Last stop was in Saint Petersburg 1831, Christmas ball at the Winter Palace. And before that we landed on the _SS Santa Claus_ , and before that there was that time in Lapland.”  
“Well maybe the TARDIS is in a bit of Christmas mood”  
“You’re probably right. It’s not like she has the occasion to celebrate. She probably wants a gift and is trying to give us a hint.”  
“Well, what can we get for her?”  
“Probably the Doctor finally reading the maintenance manual”, Ian proposed.  
“Well instead she’s getting Daleks for Christmas.” Barbara retorted.  
They started giggling. 

The Doctor was almost late to the rescue. But for once, Ian did not mind.


	6. Sixth Lesson : Christmas with coworkers is not always fun but it is a social obligation

## Sixth Lesson : Christmas with coworkers is not always fun but it is a social obligation

####  London, Coal Hill School, 10th of December 1962

“Barbara, I need you help!”  
“And hello to you too.”

Ian, who had barged, in her class not waiting for all the students to leave, stopped and reconsidered what he just said. Two boys snickered.  
“Yes… Sorry… Hello. Could you please help me with something once you’ve finished.”  
“Thank you.”

Some more giggles followed as the last children left the room. Ian sat on the desk, while Barbara was wiping the blackboard. 

“So, Jane Perkins and Tom Rowson? I’m surprised this time.”  
Barbara sighed.  
“They’re so caught up with each other, they’re not paying any attention in class. It’s insufferable. I give them three month at most.”  
“Not very romantic of you.”  
She raised an eyebrow.  
“So what is this urgent matter you need my help with?”  
“That.” Ian cleared his throat. “The Christmas party is in five days and I have no idea what to give Ann Leonard. No idea. I’m stuck. For the moment, flowers are the best thing I came up with.“  
“Careful with that. She’s engaged, and rumour has it, he’s the jealous type.”  
“And I’ve seen the boyfriend, and he’s taller and heavier than me. Anyway, it’s not like I was planning on giving her red roses, but still, I don’t want to take the chance.”  
“Who did you picked last year?”  
“Harold. Got him a bottle of French wine. But Ann doesn’t drink.”  
“I don’t know. She’s a Maths teacher. Surely you must know a little bit about her other than the fact that she’s engaged and does not drink.”  
“I know she’s a dog person, despises cricket and likes Cliff Richard. And really Barbara, there’s no club of science teachers, we don’t spend all our time together.”  
“I don’t know. Get her a nice pen.”  
“That’s not very original.”  
“Fine. The flowers is it?”  
“I just don’t really like the idea of giving her something work-related as a Christmas present.”  
“You were given a notebook last year.”  
“Steven has no imagination. That’s what teaching grammar does to you.”  
“Aren’t you using this notebook?”  
“Well… I did not have to buy a new one for this school year.”  
“As I said, go with the flowers. Or chocolate.”  
“All right. I‘ll take your advice.”

Barbara made a face as if to say “When don’t you?”

“Say,” Ian asked, “Who did you pick?”  
“Not telling you.”  
“I told you mine.”  
“Your mistake.”  
“All right,” Ian was not one to capitulate easily, “what’s the gift?”  
“Again, that would be telling.”  
“Why won’t you tell me?”  
“It’s supposed to be a secret.”  
“Even to me?”  
“To everyone.”  
“I’ll find out.”  
Barbara was not impressed.  
“Good luck.”  
“Unless…”, Ian grinned “you picked me.”  
“You’re wasting your time.”  
“Actually you didn’t. I know who got me.”  
“How?”  
“The French teacher asked me out of the blue what I liked to read.”  
“Unless I sent her to ask you that.”  
“You know my tastes.”  
“Or it was a diversion.”  
“No. You’d be more subtle at it. I know who picked you, by the way. They actually told me”  
“You’re not going to trick me into telling you who I got, Ian. Oh, and if I get a rubbish present, I shall blame it on you.”  
“Trust me, you won’t.”  
“Lowering one’s expectations is actually a better strategy.”  
“Oh, so you don’t trust me then. I’m wounded.”

She threw a piece of chalk at him. She missed, but Ian made a point of rubbing his arm.

“Ready to go? Do you want me to give you a lift?”  
“Thank you. That would be nice.”

“By the way, Steven and his wife are hosting the party this time. Do we need to give them a present as well?” Ian asked as they exited the classroom.  
“You can give the money to Margaret. She’s getting them a vase, of something.”  
“A hideous one, I’d say.”  
“Knowing Margaret, it’ll be dreadful.”

“You know”, Barbara said as they were walking to Ian’s car, “I’m not looking forward to it. Coal Hill’s Christmas parties are usually very dull.”  
“Me neither. And listening to a drunken rendition of _Oh the little town of Bethlehem_ is not my idea of a party. But that’ll be only a few hours to pass, in not-so-bad company”.  
He smiled  
“Do you want me to drive you there on Saturday?”


End file.
